The Toho Gozilla Collection: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (1995)/Godzilla vs. Megaguirus (2000)

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“Godzilla vs. Destoroyah” was a fantastic conclusion that was worth every hype that Toho made of the demise of Godzilla. Great storyline and action and no doubt, the best Godzilla film of the Heisei era. While “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” is a film of the Millenium era and a new alternate universe featuring Godzilla. It’s a different, yet average Godzilla film at best. But overall, this Blu-ray set is definitely worth the purchase alone for “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah”! Recommended!

Click here to purchase Godzilla Vs. Destoroyah / Godzilla Vs. Megaguirus on Blu-ray

TITLE: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah/Godzilla vs. Megaguirus

FILM RELEASE: 1995/2000

DURATION: (Godzilla vs. Destoroyah) 102 Minutes, (Godzilla vs. Megaguirus) 106 Minutes

BLU-RAY DISC INFORMATION: (Godzilla vs. Destoroyah) 1080p High Definition, 1:85:1, Audio: English, Japanese 2.0 DTS-HD MA, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French / (Godzilla vs. Megaguirus): 1080p High Definition, 2:35:1 aspect ratio, English and Japanese 2.0 DTS-HD MA, Subtitles: English, English SDH, French

COMPANY: Sony Pictures Home Entertainment

RATED: Godzilla vs. Destoroyah (Not Rated), Godzilla vs. Megauirus (Not Rated)

Release Date: May 6, 2014

Godzilla vs. Destoroyah

Directed by Okawara Takao

Screenplay by Ohmori Kazuki

Executive Produced by Tanaka Tomoyuki

Producer: Tomiyama Shogo

Music by Ifukube Akira

Cinematography by Sekiguchi Yoshinori, Kishimoto Masahiro

Edited by Osada Chizuko

Godzilla vs. Megaguirus

Directed by Tezuka Masaaki

Screenplay by Kashiwabara Hiroshi , Mimura Wataru

Produced by Tomiyama Shogo

Music by Oshima Michiru

Edited by Fushima Shinichi

“Godzilla vs. Destoroyah” Starring:

Tatsumi Takuro as Dr. Ijuin Kensaku

Ishino Yoko as Yamane Yukari

Hayashi Yasufumi as Yamane Kenichi

Odaka Megumi as Saegusa Miki

Osawa Sayaka as Ozawa Meru

Shinoda Saburo as Fukazawa Professor

Nakao Akira as Commander Aso Takaki

Takashima Masahiro as Major Kuroki Sho

“Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” Starring:

Tanaka Misato as Tsujimori Kiriko

Tanihara Shosuke as Kudo Hajime

Ibu Masato as Sugiura Motohiko

Hoshi Yuriko as Yoshizawa Yoshino

Nagashima Toshiyuki as Miyagawa Takuji

With a super-charged blast from his nuclear past, a new Godzilla® emerges from his own ashes, radioactive and ready to take on Tokyo! The great lizard’s nuclear energy is increasing by the minute, and a monster meltdown threatens to vaporize the planet. But when mutant micro-organisms unleash a plague of destruction, Godzilla® is Japan’s only hope to destroy them. This victory creates Godzilla®’s deadliest challenge yet: the Oxygen Destroyer. And with Godzilla® Junior pulled into the ring, only the Super XIII can put the deep freeze on this three-way monster melee. The action is hot and the special effects are chilling’ in this high-tech, high-powered Godzilla® thriller!

Five years after Godzilla® terrorized the city of Osaka, Japanese scientists have developed a sure-fire way to finally destroy Japan’s monster nemesis. They have created the world’s first man-made black hole, which will trap Godzilla® for eternity! But during a testing of this new Dimension Tide, an insect caught in the hole mutates, producing gargantuan eggs that give birth to a new menace : giant dragonfly monsters called Meganula . Meganula queen, the 50-meter Megaguirus , is also on a hunt for Godzilla®, needing to steal his energy to survive. From the sky down to the depths of a city’s underground sewer tunnels, Megaguirus , Godzilla®, and humankind battle for supremacy. Who will prevail in this high-tech, three-way battle of terror and destruction.

The following was reviewed back in 2014

As many await the upcoming “Godzilla” film in the U.S., to help celebrate the 60th year since the first film release of the iconic kaiju monster known as “Godzilla”, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment will be releasing eight of the Heisei/Millenium “Godzilla” films on Blu-ray..

A total of eight “Godzilla” films will be released with a two Blu-ray set containing two films. All films on Blu-ray be remastered in high definition as part of the Toho Godzilla Collection.

The following review is for “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah”, the 22nd and final film of the Heisei era and Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” (Gojira tai Megagirasu: Ji Shometsu Sakjusen) which is the 24th film, the second in the Millenium era of Godzilla films in the Toho “Godzilla” franchise.

For the 22nd film, “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah” (Gojira tai Desutoroia, 1995), as the final film for the Heisei era, Toho created a lot of buzz in Japan with news that Godzilla will be killed and in a way, to help pave the way for the big budget Hollywood film that was to come out in 1998.

The film follows psychic Segusa Miki (portrayed by Odaka Megumi ), who continues her role to observe Godzilla at Birth Island and check to see how his son is doing. But what she finds instead is an island that has been destroyed.

Reports of Godzilla in Hong Kong begin to be televised and this time, Godzilla is seen to have red glowing lava surrounding large areas of his body. The pain that Godzilla is undergoing has made him go on a rampage and taking it out on humanity, easily killing thousands of people.

Japan’s Self Defense Force sends a person to visit Yamane Kenichi , the grandson of Dr. Yamane Kyohei (from the original 1954 film), to find out what has happened to Godzilla. Immediately, Kenichi responds that Godzilla is dying.

As his heart is a nuclear reactor, a meltdown is happening within his body and when his body reaches 1,200 celsius, Godzilla will explode. The problem is that the mere power of the explosion can destroy the world.

So, JSDF must find a way to stop this nuclear explosion by creating the Super-X III, an anti-nuclear cold weapon that should contain Godzilla and prevent him from exploding but let him have a nuclear meltdown. Meanwhile, scientists are quickly working on an Oxygen Destroyer that was created by Dr. Serizawa back in 1954, but the JSDF may cause more harm and may create another monstrous being.

Eventually, the Oxygen Destroyer is tested and monstrous crab creatures have been created and these creatures known as Destoroyah have gone on a rampage.

Meanwhile, Little Godzilla has now grown and has become like his father in size and is currently searching for him. In order to defeat the Destoroyah, the JSDF leads Godzilla to fight against these man-made abominations.

For the 24th film, “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus”, the second film of the Millenium Era. The film marks as an alternate universe and the film goes into details of why the capital is in Osaka and no longer in Tokyo.

While using an experimental satellite weapon which creates black holes, a prehistoric firefly enters through a wormhole and drops off an egg on present time Earth before exiting out of the wormhole. The egg finds its way into Tokyo and hatches, and a dragonfly larva known as Meganulon is born and feeding on Earth to become Meganula.

As the anti-Godzilla team known as G-Graspers fight against Godzilla, the Meganula Queen known as Megaguirus becomes fixated on Godzilla’s nuclear energy leading to a battle between Godzilla vs. Megaguirus.

VIDEO & AUDIO:

“Godzilla vs. Destoroyah” is presented in 1080p High Definition (1:85:1 aspect ratio) in English and Japanese 2.0 DTS-HD MA. While “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” is presented in 1080p High Definition (2:35:1 aspect ratio) in English and Japanese 5.1 DTS-HD MA.

As for picture quality, both films show improvement over the previous DVD release in terms of clarity and colors, but also showcasing grain. While not pristine, the films do look much better on Blu-ray and its lossless Japanese and English stereo soundtrack is clear and understandable. “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” does feature a much better lossless soundtrack and use of surround channels due to its 5.1 treatment.

Subtitles for both films are in English, English SDH and French.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

“Godzilla vs. Destoroyah/Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” comes with trailers for each film.

As the Heisei Era came to a close for “Godzilla” films, “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah” received a lot of hype as word of Godzilla’s death became major buzz.

And the treatment of this film’s plot had to be special and sure enough, Ohmori Kazuki saved his best for last as his writing was much more intense and serious than any of the previous films that he had written.

The film featured much more destruction, better special effects, much more drama and most of all, a conclusion that no doubt made sense!

And for those who have stuck with these films since the mid-80’s, the conclusion of the character Saegusa Miki (portrayed by Odaka Megumi ), the only character that has appeared in several Heisei Godzilla films, comes to a close and she no doubt was able to deliver an emotional performance in “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah”. The film also marks the final Godzilla film featuring the music from 81-year-old composer, Ifukube Akira.

But while I don’t want to ruin the film for those who hasn’t seen it, you have possibly one of the most cruelest scenes ever created by an enemy of Godzilla and fans will be surprised of how far the antagonist was able to go in this film. If anything, the final half hour of “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah” was well-done and no doubt is the best Godzilla film created in the Heisei Era.

Surprisingly, “Godzilla 2000: Millennium” is not included on Blu-ray, but we do get the second film of the Millennium Era, “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus”.

And this film is among the usual, Jurassic ideas of what if Godzilla had to battle against a real dinosaur. Also, from going from “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah” to “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus”, the differences are apparent in terms of production quality, modern special effects and the fact that the capital is not in Tokyo but in Osaka, that viewers will quickly realize this is an alternate universe.

An alternate universe where the Japan Self Defense Force have their own anti-Godzilla soldiers and technology to open blackholes/wormholes which allowed a prehistoric dragonfly to drop her egg into modern day Japan.

Overall, the storyline was rather fascinating and different from previous Godzilla films but for an alternate universe using futuristic technology, the film was average.

While there is humor and an interesting battle, it was not the best. Megaguirus was another insect kaiju and not memorable by any means. The storyline was not the best but if you have an open mind to the Godzilla alternate universe, you either accept this different style and see if the other films grown on you (which they eventually did for me, despite being very different from any of the previous era of Godzilla films).

Overall, “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah” was a fantastic conclusion that was worth every hype that Toho made of the demise of Godzilla. Great storyline and action and no doubt, the best Godzilla film of the Heisei era. While “Godzilla vs. Megaguirus” is a film of the Millenium era and a new alternate universe featuring Godzilla. It’s a different, yet average Godzilla film at best. But overall, this Blu-ray set is definitely worth the purchase alone for “Godzilla vs. Destoroyah”!

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